Island Princess Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The cruse updated us to a better cabin to start. The room was a handicap room which was a larger room. The first night we took a shower and had water all over the floor. We reported it and two man came with a machine sucked up the water and said hair was clogging up the drain. They fixed  that but there was a awful smell in the room , after 4 days of dealing with the not so nice plumber they corrected the problem , the fixed the problem , after dealing with that we were given a small compensation, but we had to deal with the smell. of something he could have fixed in four days, the deck supervisor finally showed up on the fourth

day to smell it for himself (poor response

Overall the cruise was very nice and lived up to our expectations

We enjoyed seeing the purity of the Alaska Inside Passage.  Alaska and Canada were very beautiful.  Port visits were much enjoyed, but Juneau and Ketchikan ports were not long enough, and we felt like we were rushed.  The price of the excursions purchased on the ship were expensive.  We did research and were able to find less expensive excursions that we felt were very enjoyable.  Be aware that the Saxman Totem Poles in Ketchikan take about 15 minutes to see, and you can not enter the main structure.  If you don't go with the ship, it costs $5 to see enter the area with the Totem Poles. We rented a car for a long day in Skagway, and it cost us about $165.  We drove to Whitehorse, Canada and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Yukon Pass and the Summit.  This was much less expensive than the two of us taking the train excursion. 

Our room service was very good, and overall, staff on the ship were very helpful. The only complaint I had about our room was that the shower curtain was about 1 inch too short, and every time we showered the bathroom floor got very wet.  

It was sometimes unpleasant on the ship due to the large crowds.  Prior to departing for Ports, there were so many people trying to eat breakfast, there was literally NO place to sit.  We would have to wander around with our plate of food until someone left a table.  We had to grab the table before it was cleared so no one else would beat us too it.  The buffet food was OK, but the restaurant food was much better quality. 

The visit to Hubbard Glacier was not as enjoyable as we expected, as we stayed a far distance from the Glacier.  There was another large cruise ship ahead of us, that got much closer to Hubbard Glacier.  We were told by the ship "Naturalist" over the loud speaker that we were going to get closer to the glacier, but we never did.  

For the first week of June, the weather was still cold for most of the trip.  We had a lot of wind and rain, so be prepared for the weather.  Dress in layers so you can enjoy the outdoor portion of the cruise. Take a rain poncho and umbrella just in case.  

We loved the cruise. Only part we didn't care for was not having any phone service the whole time. We had a family emergency just before boarding and couldn't call home to check on things and neither could the ship. Could have paid for internet for way too much but according to most of the people we met on ship that did purchase minutes there were numerous problems from it not working to running their minutes off is first hour because of lack of instructions. Crew for the most part were very helpful but had  a hard time understanding heavy accents at times.

We booked a suite and the amenities that come with it were superb. Out Stewart was very attentive. We also booked The Sanctuary area for at sea days, Glacier Bay, and College Fjord. I would highly recommend this as well. No jockeying to see the view and the attendants were wonderful. 

What I would say needs improvement is the laundry services. We sent in laundry and dry cleaning on Sunday for same day service and we did not receive it back until Wednesday.... hardly same day service.... It would've been one thing if they were simply backed up but two brand new tops that we're purchased prior to the cruise and only worn once were returned pilled. It was upsetting to say the least. 

Overall the good vastly outweighed the bad. The weather was fabulous with absolutely no rain at any point along the way. Alaska is simply gorgeous! 

The Alaska scenery is the only thing that saved this cruise.  Princess was a huge disappointment.  Our trio for 4 totaled  $12,000 including excursions and airfare.  The first night a room steward removed an expensive personal item from our room  and stated that it was trash and we had thrown it away.  They were not even courteous enough to move this person away from our rooms so we spent the remainder of our trip cleaning and straightening our own rooms.  The food was mediocre at best and was never hot.  I have cruised many times on multiple cruise lines including: Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean.  This cruise line was the most disappointing by far.  I would recommend Alaska, but on Holland America or another cruise line.

Very nice ship, clean and all staff very friendly.  Our cabin Steward, Jojan, was awesome!  Excursions were great, especially the seaplane to the Lodge.  We did have a few times when at sea that the activities were not really our type of event so spent time at a bar or in the cabin. Definitely recommend Balcony rooms for the Alaska cruise, you see a lot of glaciers and marine life right off your own balcony and do not have to run topside when something is spotted.  We enjoyed Mark the Marine Life naturalist.  There were a few areas of food waste that could be addressed by the cruise line.  Baskets of bread for a small table just goes to waste.  Ask first if people want the bread before you bring it. Unless you are a heavy drinker everyday, the drink package is not advised.  Very expensive unless you drink at least 8-9 per day.  Overall, we had a great time and are looking for our next destination.  

Favorite - Train excursion on White Pass Train from Skagway was very scenic.

Needs improvement - Food quality; has deteriorated from previous Princess cruise of few years ago; entertainment had high points and some mediocre (the musical performances of Encore and Bayou Nights was very good while the Billy Joel impersonator was pathetic.)

Completely unacceptable - The disembarkation process in Vancouver was a failure. We (along with others) missed our flights. From the time we got off the ship until we boarded the Princess arranged transfers (busses) was over 90 minutes - just standing in line.

We did enjoy the food, it was well prepared and the wait staff was kind and courteous.  The shows were on the most part good to very good.  What we did not enjoy was the very loud noise coming from the walls of our room.  It sounded like engine noise and after calling and complaining about the noise they agreed it was loud but did not have an empty room to move us to a better location.  So we spent 7 nights without sleep.  They did knock off $450 from our bill but that did not compensate for a ruined vacation,

This is a very pleasant short get away for those of us who live in southern California.  It is easy to get to the port and only one flight to get home.

As usual, we had a wonderful experience on the Island Princess.  We ran into exceptionally rough seas, but the ship handled it well. The only consequence was that we had to skip a port along the wa, but those things happen and we enjoyed a quiet day on board with great food and entertainment. 

I always picture myself relaxing in a deck chair, reading something light, but that didn't happen this time!  Weather kept us out of Astoria, and it was too cold to enjoy the outside decks.  The rest was great.  The food was good, the dance floors were in good condition, and the bands provided plenty of dancing.  The production shows were good.  There were so many activities no one could do them all.  I learned some great stretches in the fitness center and I even soaked my feet in a hot tub for an hour.  We rode a trolley in San Francisco, visited a museum in Victoria, and came home refreshed.

this is the first time I wish we had not taken a Princess Cruise.  you cannot control the weather.  But the weather certainly does not make for a nice May cruise in that area.  Will never take it again.   I was disappointed to learn that we received no credit for this cruise toward our status because it was 6 days.  If you had advised such, we would have found a 7 day cruise instead.  Also, since when does the Caribe  deck balcony not include the foot stool!  Never encountered that before.  

Will not sail on your small ships again.  Will stick with the Caribbean Princess size ship and up.  

Actually it was on the lower end of Good

Sign in at San Padro went very smooth, room attendant was good.

Entertainment was OK except the show BouYo was very good.

Restaurants were OK, Eggs Benedict's were terrible cooked the day before!

Afternooon Tea was Poor.

The communications between the crew was poor, hard to get a definite answer to some basic questions, mostly a language problems thorough out the ship.

Weather and ride was out of your control. Very disappointed at canceling the stop at Astoria.

Basically Disappointed! I'm not anxious to book on Princess again!

My understanding is that this is one of the very few yearly cruises that spends 2 days in Panama, one full day for the crossing and one day for excursions.  Virtually ALL passengers were transfixed on the crossing from morning until night, both on their balconies or public viewing areas, which was enhanced by the broadcast commentaries, AND the on screen (TV) cameras into every room.  I was not overly excited by the ports visited, or perhaps my choice of excursions was not the best, having opted for many city tours.  I avoided more exotic, (jungle or out of the main stream) tours, which I normally would have preferred, as I had concerns about ZIKA.  NOTE that I saw NO mosquitoes in any of the locations that I visited!!!  

Thoroughly enjoyed all of the cruise. All ports were good but best part for us was stop in Panama and taking Panama Railway and visiting Gatun Locks. 

Food on on ship excellent and don't think it needs the speciality restaurants where you have to pay a surcharge. We visited the two speciality restaurants and were disappointed with both the food and service.   

Would recommend cruise through Panama Canal - days at sea with ports of call interspersed throughout the journey. 

Even though we missed the first three days due to flight delays we still had a wonderful time and are looking forward to the next cruise aboard Princess Cruise Lines.

The best part was feeling pampered and waited on.  Out steward Norman was fantastic - he worked overtime from early morning till late at night, keeping all the staterooms in order whenever we left.  

Most all of the dishes in the Bordeaux dining room were delicious, particularly the filet, lamb chops, & lobster - better than I remember cruise fair being. The deserts were delightful. The Princess burger was large but mediocre. The wait staff was as good as any good restaurant, competent, friendly, and helpful. We were not impressed at all with the Bayou Café. Coffee and tea room service very morning was fantastic perk. The Horizon Court buffet provided a fantastic and changing variety of dishes. I actually lost weight (purposely) by skipping pastries, desserts, and carbs eating omelets and fruit for brunch and other protein for dinner.

The shows were a very pleasant surprise - great singing, dancing, guest performers! Also really enjoyed the historic presentations about ports of call and the canal. The activities were too many to keep up with - truly something for everyone, but I mostly wanted to RELAX, so I did.  I would recommend this Princess cruise very highly for first time cruisers as well as the very experienced. 

We only availed ourselves of two excursions, Nicaragua and Cartagena.  The bus trip to a Nicaragua farm should be eliminated - it was a waste of time and money. I would recommend eliminating the stop in Nicaragua altogether if it would be possible to enjoy Cartagena and Aruba longer. Our tour in Cartagena was very informative but the stay in port was much too short. Our tour guide in Cartagena was one of the best I have ever had.  We could hear him clearly and he spoke good English. I would have liked to have spent much more time in Aruba and do not understand why we had to leave so early when the ship cruised at reduced speed from there to Fla.  The BIGGEST ISSUE -  MORE EXITS/BOATS ARE NEEDED TO MOVE PEOPLE OFF THE SHIP WHEN TENDERS ARE NEEDED TO GET TO SHORE, only two portals were used.  It took WAY too long to get people ashore on life boats and tenders, especially when the stay in port was short.  It also took way too long to get off the ship at the end of the cruise. The next biggest issue is the BOTTLED WATER POLICY.  The tap water is heavily chlorinated (yuck) and all bottled water was expensive.  If I pay 8k for a cruise and $7 /day for soft drinks, having to pay more for a couple of bottles of water a day just REALLY TICKS ME OFF!!!!!!  What the frick are you Princess people thinking????  It can't be that much of a money-maker and wouldn't cost you that much to include it with soft drinks!! It is a pain to have to go to a bar for a glass of good water all the time.

Great cruise.  Accommodations were clean, well serviced, and adequate for this trip.  Most of our time was spent on deck or in the common places.  No need for lavish sleeping quarters.  

Food was excellent.  All meals, both Horizon and Provance food was top notch and the fast food kiosks were very good.  Of course we ate too much, but we can't blame Princes for that!  

Entertainment was exceptional.  Guest entertainers were quit good and the ship dance/singer team was the best we have ever seen.  The string trio in  the Atrium was outstanding as was the entertainment in the night club areas.

The excursions were well organized, convenient, and while a little pricey, accommodated our needs.  We did miss the Nicaraguan port, but that was due to poor sea conditions.  Onboard extracurricular activities were good (dance lessons, exercise, specialty programs, etc.).  

The entire crew was outstanding.  Any need was addressed immediately and with much courtesy.  We want to offer a special appreciation to Bien and John Paul (our waiters in the Provance).  They took care of us well, were professional, yet were warm and encouraging.  Special appreciation goes to Shepard (Zimbabwe) who assisted us upstairs to the Splash pool and  had a wonderful ingratiating smile.  

One bit of feedback for improvement:  We are coffee drinkers as are many Americans.  The free coffee in the Horizon was of poor quality, weak, and inconveniently located.  Improvement might be more free coffee locations around the ship, especially close to the stateroom floors. Also, a better, stronger coffee would be appreciated.  We ended up buying coffee from the various kiosks.  Good free coffee, in our opinion, should be a standard offered by any cruise line.  

Overall, this was an excellent cruise and well worth the price and our time invested.  We enjoyed ourselves and will cruise Princess in the future. 

Food and entertainment were uneven but mostly good. Ship is good but worn down in places. Ship is clean and well kept up otherwise. Best Lido dining I have seen on a ship.

We really enjoyed this cruise. The ship was comfortable & easy to navigate, not too big.

The canal crossing was truly the highlight of the trip, amazing engineering on the locks & impressive seeing the other cargo ships going into locks with you.

The time in all ports was short, would have liked a bit more time on shore. Missed the port in Nicaragua due to wave action that prevented the use of tenders.

All of the employees of Princess that we came in contact with were very pleasant.